Deep feelings
by Saito Daemon
Summary: After Cubia's defeat Haseo finds himself in a new time of peace, though an e-mail stirs some confusing feelings within the Terror of Death. How will these events affect him in this time of peace?
1. Contemplation

Disclaimer: I don't own anything .hack/ based, I'm writing this for several reasons, one is to make my own online/offline ending to the G.U. series, the second is because I see a lack of this pairing, and the third, I think it'll be fun to get back into making fanfics (Sure, I did only one years ago but that's besides the point I say!) Haseo and Alkaid pairing time! Also, on a note, I noticed that some fanfics have Ryou with black hair though if you check out .hack/G.U.+ is bleaches it. Also, I'm adding a classic .hack reference for a good laugh.

**Contemplation**

Ryou Misaki sighed as he leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. He had just read the e-mail from CC Corp. about the marriage event and realized how confused his feelings were. Thinking back on things there were two girls who had become special to him as he tried to awaken Shino from her coma, though the thought of solving these feelings never crossed his mind until the e-mail. Another e-mail suddenly sounded as he quickly checked it.

**Sender: Silabus**

**Subject: Canard**

**Hey Haseo, some of the players in our guild were wondering if you would like to come on a quest. I told them you might be too busy but they wanted to meet the man who saved 'The World'.**

Ryou sighed a bit. "Well, guess I have nothing better to do so why not?" Ryou slipped on his M2D and logged in, remembering that the guild was no longer in Breg Epona due to Zelkova wanting to make sure he'd come back for return visits to Tartarga. As his silver PC appeared he quickly rushed straight to the guild, not wanting to get any unnecessary attention from the locals. Upon entering the guild Silabus was seen talking to a group of players.

"Now, now, calm down. Remember that Haseo might very well be busy, after all he has a life outside 'The World' like everybody else," Silabus said, trying to calm down the newer members of the guild. Ryou smirked seeing that Silabus was at least thinking about how he might be busy.

"I'm here now Silabus so I'll take it from here," Haseo said as the crowd of new players instantly charged over to him. 'Maybe I should have just logged out for the day...,' he thought, realizing that he would have to go on a few quests considering the number of players.

Haseo sighed as the last of the players logged out. He burned out of the quests after the second run through but he had to do five more afterwards.

"Thanks Haseo, you're a life saver," Silabus said, smiling brightly. "By the way, did Alkaid send you the same e-mail as she sent me?" Ryou thought about how he received a new e-mail over an hour ago but since all the new players were dragging him everywhere he never got a chance to read it.

"Not really, though I'm exhausted so I'll log out and check my e-mail before calling it a night," Haseo said. Before Silabus had a chance to react he logged out and removed his M2D, taking the time to stretch while the desktop loaded. "Now let's see what's so important," He opened up his inbox, yawn after realizing how late it was and simply close the inbox again. "It could probably wait. AIDA's gone and 'The World' is thankfully a normal game again. I'll read it after I get up," He powered down his computer and slowly dragged himself to bed, thinking of how tomorrow would be another day of his classmates ridiculing him as a netjunkie.

Ryou had received a message from both Alkaid and Atoli, inviting him to a dungeon area in the Sigma server. They had already reached the lowest level and they had been arguing the whole time on which way to go.

"This time we're going left!" Atoli proclaimed, grabbing Haseo's hand, though before she could pull Alkaid grabbed his right hand.

"Nu uh! We're going to the right! That's where all the monsters are!" Alkaid argued. Haseo felt like they would eventually tare him apart if this kept up.

"Hey, calm down and just pick one already," Haseo said, trying not to get too involved. He soon found out he should have stayed silent,

"You have to choose Haseo!" Atoli looked up at Haseo, pleading in her eyes.

"Yeah, I know you'll choose my way!" Alkaid winked, causing Atoli to panic.

"W-Well... I'll just go this way then!" Atoli said as she walked off to the left, leaving Haseo and Alkaid.

"If that's how it's gonna be then I'll go to the right! I know you'll come with me Haseo," Alkaid said as she ran down the right tunnel. Haseo was panicking, looking down both tunnels before his eyes shot open.

Ryou looked around, seeing only his room, realizing he'd broken out in a cold sweat. "Man, talk about a nightmare. I'd never want to be in that type of situation," Ryou mumbled to himself, trying to gather his thoughts. He checked the time and saw that his alarm would have gone off soon anyway so he went to the bathroom and began washing his face. He then remembered the e-mail from Alkaid and quickly powered on his computer as he dried his face.

'Don't let this be an invite to any areas,' Ryou thought, remembering the dream as he highlighted the message.

**Sender: Alkaid**

**Subject: Move**

**My parents just recently told me we're moving so I won't be logging on for a few days. I only have a couple of hours before we leave so if you wanna go to any areas or something let me know because I won't be on for a while after today!**

Ryou sunk into his chair. 'I should have read this last night,' he thought. 'That dream though, it had to be related to how I feel towards them.' Get up, he started getting some toast ready, knowing he'd need to start getting ready for school. As he ate he thought about everything he had gone through in the world and realized one thing, the despair he felt from losing Alkaid had left a new hole in his heart until she returned to help him in the fight against Cubia.

Author: Rate, comment, suggestions will be taken but I have lots in mind for this fanfic and I mean lots! Not to mention I told a friend of mine that if he likes this I'd do one based on Haseo and Atoli.


	2. Adapting

Disclaimer: I don't own anything .hack/ based. Also I know chapter 1 was short, I have a really bad habit of making all my chapter 1's short yet anything after it though always seems to have more content. Hope you all enjoy!

Adapting

Ryou sighed as he walked to school. He was feeling guilty for not reading Alkaid's e-mail when he had a chance. As the school came into view he snapped back to reality as he heard people whispering about him. He was used to it already since he abandoned any hope of making friends of anyone at the school.

'They wouldn't understand what I went through,' he thought, ignoring all of the talk about him being a netjunkie. He heard a few people talking about how awesome Haseo was for bringing everyone together to save 'The World' or how he was claimed to be the ultimate player. He never told anyone that he was Haseo, the Terror of Death and he had no intention of ever telling anyone that fact either, knowing it would only give him problems. As he headed down the halls some of the students where talking about how they'd love to get Haseo's member address, completely ignoring his presence. Sick of hearing every go on about the Terror of Death, Ryou just headed for his class, attempting to block out all the snickering and talk around him.

Ryou sighed as he looked out the window, the minutes passing slowly as he waited for class to start. He had chosen the seat in the back of the class next to the window and in the end everyone who had been near him had moved their desks away from them as if he had some type of terminal disease. Only one desk was still close to him and it was right in front of him, though the only reason for that was the fact that no one had claimed it. As the bell sounded the teacher came in, Ryou paying no mind as he continued staring out the window.

"Ok everyone, we have a new student joining the class today. Why don't you introduce yourself Ms. Kuramoto," the teacher said as he took his seat. Ryou glance from the window at the new student, only to have his eyes widen.

"Hello, nice to meet you all. My name is Chika Kuramoto," the young brunette said as she introduced herself. "I moved here from Sapporo, Hokkaido and my favorite hobby is reading so I hope to join the library's council since I was a part of it back in my old school." She noticed Ryou staring out of the corner of her eye before the teacher clear his throat to get her attention.

"Now that you've introduced yourself there's only one remaining seat by the window so please sit so we maybe begin our lessons," the teacher said, directing her to the seat in front of Ryou. Chika simply walked nodded and took her seat.

'This guy behind me, the way he was looking at me, there's something strange about it,' Chika thought, trying her best to ignore him. 'I need to focus on class but I'll find out what's going on during lunch.' Ryou had gone back to looking out the window, trying to hide the shock on his face.

'It's Alkaid!' Ryou thought, remembering the picture of her he saw on the news capture section of 'The World's desktop. He knew it was her because it was announced almost right after She had fallen comatose. 'So she was moving here, though to have gotten her so soon, she must have had her computer be one of the last things packed to move and left before I even logged out.' He sighed, feeling that today was most likely going to be a long day.

As soon as the lunch bell rang Ryou had grabbed his lunch and walked out of the room. He normally ate alone outside, never wanting to be near anyone else since he could never get any peace around them. As Chika turned around she noticed he was no where to be seen.

"Hey, where's the guy that was sitting behind me?" Chika asked to no one in particular, thinking out loud. The girl sitting next to her turned away from a few of her friends to Chika after hearing her ask about Ryou.

"You mean Misaki?" the girl inquired, a bit shocked. "I wouldn't even bother with him. He's known as a netjunkie and who knows what type of things he does on the net? In all truth I'm glad he leaves the room the second lunch starts, he gives me the creeps. He's truly a freak." Chika sighed.

'I need to talk to him though, the way he looked at me, it was almost as if he knew me,' Chika thought as she looked out the window. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw a single person eating under one of the trees outside. Quickly grabbing her lunch she rushed out of the class and down the halls. She had noticed a bit that he was always looking out the window, even though he seemed to keep up with everything the teacher said. 'He must have been thinking about getting away from them ever since class started!' As soon as she got outside she saw him, still eating as he looked up at the sky. 'He doesn't seem like a freak, he just seems lonely.' She quickly walked over to where he was and sat next to him. Ryou glanced to see who was there, only to be shocked to see her.

'Home come she's here?' Ryou thought, completely shocked. Chika pulled out her lunch and began eating before looking at Ryou.

"So Mr. Netjunkie, what was with that look you gave me earlier?" Chika said, the serious tone making Ryou realize that she had come to him specifically. "Or is it that you give all new people that look?" Ryou tried to relax, shrugging a bit.

"I don't know what you're talking about Alka..." Ryou said as he cut himself off quickly. Chika's eyes widened, realizing that he was about to call her Alkaid.

"Hey, who the hell are you?" Chika said, both shocked and angry. "How do you know I'm..." She was quickly cut off though as Ryou put his finger on his lips, as if trying to stop her from giving away that she was the former Demon Palace Emperor. "Ok, time for you to spill it, how do you know?" Ryou gave a deep sigh.

"I saw your picture in 'The World's news capture section, talking about how you had collapsed," Ryou said, telling her only half of the truth. "Don't worry, I don't plan on saying anything."

"So that stuff about you being a netjunkie, it's more like you're spending all your time playing 'The World' am I right?" Chika asked, calming down. Ryou only nodded. "You know, our classmates are jerks. They look down on you but they don't know anything about you. Here, you have a chance to blackmail me with what you know and you're not even going to take advantage of it."

"What's your point?" Ryou asked, continuing his lunch. He felt her move closer to him, blushing a bit.

"How about we become friends?" Chika asked, smiling. "I'm not able to log in right now because we need to get the internet installed at home still, but I'll give you my member address when I get the chance. You seem like a nice enough guy and you're already showing that you're trust worthy." Ryou swallowed hard. He knew that even if he told her that he was Haseo that unless he could prove it she wouldn't believe him.

"Sure," Ryou said. 'I'll sort all this out later, maybe I'll find a way that I can prove that I'm Haseo to her,' Ryou thought as he looked back up at the sky. He realized his time around Atoli allowed him to see not just 'The World' but the real world as something beautiful. He then remembered the nightmare he had and sighed. 'I need to talk to Atoli and let her know my feelings for Chika...'

"Hey, you seem like you have a lot on your mind," Chika said, looking at Ryou. "Don't tell me, Mr. Misaki is have relationship problems." Ryou's eyes shot wide open when he heard her say that.

"It's not like that!" Ryou said, a bit panicked. Then he saw a way to divert the subject just a tiny bit and decided to try it. "Besides, he do you even know my last name?"

"One of the girls in our class said it," Chika said plain out. "Though I still don't know your first name."

"It's Ryou," Ryou said, taking a drink of water as he thought he had succeeded in diverting the subject.

"Well Ryou, you shouldn't be afraid to tell her how you feel," Chika said, laughing a bit as Ryou choked on his water. "You know, there's someone I've been trying to tell how I feel for them, I know it's not easy, but the more you hint the easier it gets." Ryou turned away, feeling his blush return. "Oh, seems like I struck a cord with that one." Chika began giggling, not knowing that she told the person she had feelings for how she truly felt. "Hey, I know! How about after school I go to your place. I'm sure my mom won't mind considering how I made a nice friend so quickly."

"I got work after school today," Ryou said. 'Only got the job because Atoli had mentioned that it looked like I was good working around people,' Ryou thought with a sigh. "Tomorrow I should be free though if you are."

"Sounds good," Chika said as she finished her lunch and stood up. "By the way, shouldn't lunch be over soon?"

"Yeah. Guess it's about time for me to go back to being an outcast, huh?" Ryou said, looking up to see Chika with her hand extended to him.

"Hey, with another person around you can't exactly be an outcast, now can you?" Chika said, winking down at him. Ryou was speechless. "Like I said, you're a trust worthy guy and I'm not gonna just sit aside and let a friend of mine go through with those jerks give you." Ryou took her hand in his as she help him up.

"Thanks, you really don't have to though," Ryou said, looking at the window to their class to see everyone watching.

"I insist, besides, who'd want to be friends with those freaks anyway?" Chika asked with a smile. Ryou couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny about that?"

"It's just I'm used to being the one called a freak, to hear someone calling them a freak is something I never thought I'd hear," Ryou said as he started walking back to class, Chika staying close to him. 'I need to contact Atoli tonight. Chika's going to find out who I am if she gets to my computer and I don't want Atoli hurt more than she will be,' Ryou thought. 'I only hope that she won't hate me for it.'

Author: I've been having ideas overlap ideas ever since the first chapter so in the end I'll still take suggestions if there are any, though we'll see where things go from here. Again, please rate on comment!


	3. Complications

Disclaimer: I don't own anything .hack/ based. I'll try the make the chapters more longer, just need to fully get back into this. After all, 8 years without doing this makes it hard.

**Complications**

As the bell rang at the end of class Ryou sighed. After he and Chika got back to class before lunch ended all of the students were talking about how she was with him. She quickly told them all off in his defense, though he didn't want her to be an outcast just because everyone saw him as an netjunkie. As Ryou finished packing his supplies up he noticed Chika standing right next to him.

"Think I can have your cell number so we can stay in touch?" Chika asked smiling. Ryou found it amazing how she could ask him so calmly after earlier.

"You sure you want it?" Ryou asked, making sure she knew that their classmates were watching before whispering to her. "You don't need to join me as a social outcast. I'm fine dealing with it myself."

"Hey, I don't care what they jerks think, I wouldn't even wanna be friends with them after they judged you without getting to know you," Chika said, remembering how she once judged Haseo. 'He was there for me and taught me that people can easily be like books, you can't judge them bye their covers,' she thought, blushing lightly. She snapped back to reality when she realized Ryou was waving his hand in front of her face.

"Earth to Chika," Ryou said, getting a bit worried since she had spaced out for a moment.

"I'm alright," Chika assured him, shaking her head a bit. She noticed he was holding out a note to her, realizing he wrote his number down for her.

"I have to get going, I have to get ready for work," Ryou said as he got up after Chika took the note for him. "Just send me a quick text later letting me know it's you. I'll see you tomorrow." He then walked out of the classroom, leaving everyone but Chika dumbfounded.

Chika sighed. She had finished her homework when she got home, though it was boring without being able to log onto 'The World'. She decided to finish setting her computer up so the moment she got the chance she could log on right away. Then she remembered something.

'I almost forgot, I saved that e-mail the moment I noticed Nanase's name,' she thought as she booted her computer up. After it fully booted up she clicked over the e-mail she saved directly to her computer. Once it opened, she noticed the sender was Sophora. 'Moon Tree's Fourth Unit Leader? Why would she be sending me a message?'

**Subject: Sage Palace**

**It's been a while Alkaid. Though the last time we even had contact with each other I was playing a character I abandoned named Nanase. I noticed that you spent a bit of time with Haseo at the Holy Palace Tournament so I thought you needed to see this. I attached a video of something that was shown at the Sage Palace Tournament, though whether this is true or not is uncertain. It was questioned on the forums for a while.**

'So Nanase became the Fourth Unit Leader for Moon Tree, huh?' Chika thought, both happy and impressed for her old friend. 'What's this about the Sage Palace Tournament though? Guess it's a good thing I downloaded the attachment just incase.' She clicked on the video. As the video played her eyes opened wide as the footage Sakaki showed after Haseo's match with Antares was shown. "What the hell is this?" Chika yelled out of shock, quickly thanking that her parents weren't home to question why she yelled. "Did he really cheat when he face me?..." She sank in her chair, feeling betrayed. Before she knew it, she was remembering everything she went through with Haseo. Then one memory stood out for he. "If he really cheated... then why? Why did it feel like he was crying when my consciousness was fading?... And, what about when I saw him after that?..." She grabbed her cell and searched through her numbers, stopping at Mikihisa Ogata. "Antares or should I say Mikihisa might know something. I heard he went against Haseo in that tournament and got wrapped up in some scandal too." She pressed the dial button and listened to the ringing.

"Hey Chika, how has adjustment here in Tokyo treated you?" Mikihisa said in a cheerful mood.

"That's not important right now," Chika said, her stomach in knots. "I need to know something that you might know. Is it true that Haseo cheated using some weird monster?"

"Oh, you heard about that, huh?" Mikihisa said, his tone getting more serious. "Well, it depends on how you look at it. After Sakaki accused me of throwing the match I had some time to think. Thing is, Haseo isn't the kind of man that would use something like that unless he had a far greater purpose, one that surpasses having the Emperor's thrown. If he did use that thing, I know he had a good reason behind it. I even talked with him and it showed."

"So he admitted to using it?" Chika asked, having gripped to every word Mikihisa said.

"Yes, he did," Mikihisa said. "Though, I believe that he's the reason 'The World' became peaceful again, after the hell it went through during the tournaments."

"Thanks for telling me, I'll talk to you later," Chika said with a sigh, hanging up. 'Now I'm confused...' she thought. 'If he really did cheat, what do I say to him? I know he did everything he could to wake me up from my sleep. He became my prince charming...' She looked at her cell then remembered that Ryou gave her his cell number on the note he handed her. 'Would Ryou let me log in from his place tomorrow if he knew some of the details?' She entered his number in her addresses and texted him.

**Hey Ryou, think I can log into 'The World' from your place tomorrow? I need to e-mail Haseo. It's really important.**

As she sent the message, she sighed. 'I hope Haseo will tell me the truth,' Chika thought watching over her cell for Ryou's reply. 'He might have cheated, but if Mikihisa was right, then he had purpose behind why he cheated against me and I can easily forgive that.' He cell then chimed as she quickly checked Ryou's reply.

**Sure, though what do you have to talk to him about?**

She looked at his message, thinking of whether she should tell him or not. 'He did say he wouldn't tell anyone who I am without even a thought of blackmailing me...' Chika thought as she started replying.

**I just now saw the video of what happened at the Sage Palace Tournament while I was in the hospital. I need to ask him if he really did use that monster to beat me in the Demon Palace Tournament and if he did I need to ask him why.**

'I trust you Ryou,' Chika thought, giving a weak smile. 'In a few ways you remind me of Haseo. You had agreed to letting me log on before asking, just like Haseo gave up the Demon Palace Emperor title without any hesitation to help me talk to Sirius. Don't think I didn't notice that you're hair is bleached though. I'm thinking you're a Haseo fan like a lot of people out there are.' She laughed a bit at the though as another reply came in.

**I'm sure he'll tell you whatever you ask him. I heard that he plans to talk to Atoli to tell him that there's someone special he wants to be with. I have a strong feeling it's you.**

Her eyes widened as she read the text over and over again. She felt her blush burning at her cheeks. 'If that's true...' Chika thought as she texted him back quickly. 'I need to know where he heard this!'

**Where the heck did you hear that? Seriously, it's not like Haseo would tell anyone something like that!**

She waited several minutes for a reply, but didn't get one. 'He must still be at work,' She thought as she got out of her chair, going to her bed and laying down. 'I can wait though, he's showing me how kind he can be just by doing this much. I knew he was a nice guy.' She smiled a bit before her stomach growled. 'Oh well, enough moping around. Time for some ramen!'

Ryou sighed as he stocked the selves. He wanted to reply to Chika but he was now in camera view. When he read about how she saw the video a sense of terror entered his heart. Though when he read it over again he was put at ease a bit, thinking that maybe she just needed to hear the truth from him.

'Either way, I still need to talk to Atoli,' Ryou thought as he went to the back to get more supplies. As soon as her got out of camera view he sent a reply to Chika, having what she said still on his mind.

**Maybe I know Haseo. By the way, what if he did cheat but had a good reason?**

As he hit the send button he quickly put his cell away and got back to work. He knew that if he pushed the subject too hard it could end badly, though in the end he already planned on tell her everything. He knew that he couldn't keep it from her forever. He looked at a nearby clock only to see he still had two hours left of his shift. Two hours to think of what to tell Atoli.

'It's moments like this that seem to go by quick,' he thought as he gathered more supplies to restock. 'It's during the times I need time to think of what to do.' He then felt his cell vibrate and hurried to get the supplies he needed so he could get out of camera view again. As soon as he got the supplies on a Uboat he pulled them with him and checked the new text from Chika.

**I know I could forgive him if he had a good reason for doing it. I just need to hear it from him, to know how important it was. But anyway, you KNOW Haseo? Why didn't you tell me?**

'Maybe I shouldn't have put that part...' Ryou thought. 'I need to think of my next words carefully.' He slowly began replying, thinking that tomorrow would be his best opportunity to tell her that he and Haseo were one and the same.

Chika was happily slurping away at her ramen, every now and then glancing at her cell to see if Ryou replied to her text. When her cell chimed she snatched it quickly and started reading.

**Because I planned on having you two meet properly soon.**

She blushed as she read it. Sighing, she quickly finished her ramen and started replying.

**I guess that ok and all, but you should have still told me.**

"Man, I didn't think I'd be able to meet Haseo face to face so soon..." Chika said, thinking out loud. She then heard a bit of a laugh and quickly turning around. "Mom! When did you get home?

"I just got in," her mother said smiling. "Seems like I got in at a good time too. Haseo, isn't that the name of the boy you said woke you out of your coma?" Chika blushed brightly, realizing that her mom had heard her.

"Th-That's just the name he goes by in 'The World', I don't know his real name but he lives here in Tokyo," Chika said, trying to calm her heart rate down as we as hide her blush. Her mom started laughing harder at her failed attempt however.

"Listen, we moved her in hopes that you could get caught up on what you missed in school while you were in a coma,' her mother stated. "Going to this private school should make up for it, but that doesn't mean you can't try and enjoy life outside. Try and get in contacted with this boy and don't forget to introduce him to your father and I." Chika almost fell out of the chair after her mother mentioned them meeting Haseo.

"Mom, don't joke around like that!" Chika said, turn to her mother which in turn made her laugh more since Chika was still blushing. "Anyway, my friend said he'd get us to meet so When I meet him I'll let him know you wanna meet him." She quickly finished her ramen and headed to her room before her mother could say anything else. 'Man, I gotta warn Haseo about her if I ever have to introduce him to mom and dad,' she thought as she fell back on her bed. As she closed her eyes, thinking about how Haseo might be like in person.

Ryou sighed as he started up his computer. The two hours went by quickly for him as he thought of what to say to Atoli. In the end he decided it best if they went to an area where very few people went to so they could talk in private. Once his desktop loaded he sent Atoli and e-mail.

**Subject: We need to talk**

**Meet me at Delta Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground.**

He sent the e-mail, knowing he kept it short, but he was still thinking about what to say. He then logged in, putting his M2D on as Haseo appear in Tartarga. He then quickly accessed the delta server and straight to the Hülle Granz Cathedral. It was while he was waiting when he realized something important.

"I need to talk to Yata, if I plan on telling Chika everything I need to make sure it's cleared with him," Haseo though, grimacing at the thought of having to get Yata's permission. He slowly became lost in thought, unaware that Atoli had already entered the cathedral. *he slowly snuck into his blind spot before talking.

"Hi Haseo," Atoli said, smiling. Haseo turn, taken aback by her sudden appearance.

"How many times have I told you to stay out of my blind spot?" Haseo shouted, making Atoli laugh a bit.

"I couldn't help myself," Atoli said innocently. She then quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, you said we needed to talk. Is something wrong?" Haseo sighed.

"Well, you see, I've been thinking a lot about everything that's happened," Haseo started, Atoli listening, her eyes locked onto his. "Thing Is, I care about you, like a friend and I want you to know that you're important to me." Atoli sighed a bit.

"So you're going back with Shino..." Atoli said, sounding disheartened. When Haseo shook his head she tilted hers to the side. "Then who?"

"I meet Alkaid offline," Haseo said, shocking Atoli. "She doesn't know it's me though. I was able to tell who she was due to her picture being shown in the news section on the desktop." To Haseo's surprise Atoli smiled.

"I see, well, I feel like I can trust Alkaid with you," Atoli said, further shocking the Terror of Death. 'I remember when we formed a team back in the Holy Palace Tournament,' Atoli thought. 'I didn't like how she advanced on Haseo, but that's only because I wanted him to myself. I don't think Shino would have returned his love, but I know Alkaid will at least.' She then realized the look of concern on Haseo's face and realized she was crying. "Don't worry. It just makes me happy that you care enough to tell me."

"After all we've been through of course I would care," Haseo said, looking serious. "You're one of my most irreplaceable friends. I thought you would have known that by now." Atoli held hers hands to her chest, looking down into them.

"I was afraid, afraid that if we weren't something more that you wouldn't want me around..." Atoli confessed. Haseo was about to say something but Atoli continued, cutting him off. "But after what you just said, I have a special place in your heart, don't I?"

"Of course you do," Haseo said as he put his hand on his hip. "If you didn't I wouldn't of put up with you. Though you've gotten stronger than when I first met you. Strong enough to do what you feel needs to be done. You also helped me realize, I shouldn't try to rush through life. Because of you I've noticed things here and in the real world that I was blind to at one point." Atoli smiled brightly after hearing Haseo confirm that she was special to him.

"I'm glad I was able to see thing different," Atoli said. "If it wasn't for you I would still be regretting all sorts of things. You taught me so much. To know that I have a special place with you is all I need to be happy. By the way, tell Alkaid I said hi. I know that she should be back on in a couple of days, but I also want her to know I'm happy for her." Haseo blushed after hearing her say this, looking away to hide it.

"Sure, I'll tell her," Haseo said, still looking away, making Atoli giggle a bit. "Anyway, that's all I had to talk to you about. I'll see you around, ok?"

"Ok Haseo, see you around," Atoli said, walking out, smiling. After she was out of view Haseo sighed.

"I didn't think it would go that smoothly," Haseo said out loud. "I'm glad she's so understanding though. Now I can only hope that Yata will be as understanding as she was." Wasting no time he quick sent a shortmail to Yata. "Meet me on the bridge at Tartarga, I have something important to talk to you about." He then ran out of the cathedral and exited the area. Once he got back to Tartarga he headed straight for the bridge. 'Knowing him he was probably there already,' he thought as he opened the door to the bridge. Yata was seen standing near the terminal, waiting for him.

"It's rare for you to contact me," Yata said, somewhat amused. "So, what is this important conversation you mentioned in your shortmail?"

"I need to tell Alkaid about everything that happened," Haseo said. "She found out about the video involving the Avatar during the Sage Palace Tournament and she wants answers."

"You know that this isn't supposed to be public knowledge," Yata said, the amusement in his voice disappearing. "Everything from the cause of the Lost Ones to what happened involving Cubia is supposed to remain under wraps. If something were to be exposed to the public then it will cause a lot of problems not just for CC Corp, but for us as well."

"It won't happen like that," Haseo said bluntly. "She just needs to know. She wasn't just a player that had been near what happened when AIDA was around, she was a victim too. She has a right to know." Yata had noticed the look in Haseo's eyes, realizing this was something he was dedicated about.

"There's something that I've been meaning to talk to you about something myself," Yata said. "Ever since "The World has stabilized CC Corp has wanted each Epitaph User to become a System Administrator. Though there have been complications. When it comes to Sakubo it's quiet obvious that his player is far too young, though this also opens his future up for a job with us. As for Endrance, he's waiting for your answer. Atoli on the other hand accepted with the request that the Moon Tree Guild be fully restored. Soon we'll be announcing that what happened at Moon Tree was due to AIDA and that the area was corrupted, which also ended affecting the players as well."

"That's all good news and all but what does this have to do with what I'm asking?" Haseo said, annoyed that Yata had avoided the subject. Yata gave a small chuckle, only adding to the irritation Haseo already had.

"If you were a System Administrator then you could make choices, like telling those you trust about what happened," Yata said, amused at Haseo's surprise. "Now you see why I brought this bit of information up. There will be paper work involved, though Pi could bring it directly to you. She lives in Tokyo too." Haseo's eye twitched.

"You looked into my background information?" Haseo said, irritated to no end now.

"Of course," Yata said nonchalantly. "I've known for sometime now. Though this is convenient for you as well, since we could get the paperwork needed to you at any time." Haseo sighed, thinking.

'I want to tell her everything tomorrow,' Haseo thought, realizing that this was an opportunity for him. "Can Pi bring everything here tomorrow morning a few hours before I leave for school?" Haseo said, a smirk appearing on Yata face.

"Of course, I'll send an e-mail to Pi now, inspect her at your apartment tomorrow morning," Yata said, obviously pleased with how things turned out.

Author: Sorry it took so long for chapter 3 everyone. It wasn't writers block, but the fact that I had way too many ideas going through my head. I thought I was even gonna go crazy with them. Though finally, the one chapter with all the complications is finished, next chapter should be up much sooner since I've been thinking a lot of what to put in that one too. Also, to Robotic Draconian, for Chika to even call Haseo I would have had to backtrack to chapter one and have him send her his cell number. After all, I'm trying to make this fit as an actually possible ending to .hack/G.U. Redemption between Haseo and Alkaid, though you did give me a good idea for chapter 4 with your suggestion so thanks!


	4. Confession

Disclaimer: I don't own anything .hack/ based. I noticed that the *'s I put in place to tell where scene skips are won't appear and tried to make new chapters to replace them but they ended up disappearing again so yeah, I'm giving up on trying to put them. Gonna try something else and hope that does the trick. If it does I'm gonna be reposting chapter 1 to 3. Anyway, here's chapter 4.

**Confession**

Ryou yawned as he tried to wake up. He knew Pi would be there soon to give him the paperwork to fill out. He had a hard time sleeping all together since he was concerned about what Chika would say to him after he showed her that he was the one behind Haseo. He quickly jumped a bit when he heard the doorbell ring, having almost fallen asleep on his feet. He quickly opened the door to see a middle aged woman.

"Are you who I think you are?" Ryou asked, rubbing one of his eyes sleepily.

"I'm Reiko Saeki, though you know me as Pi," Reiko said, looking Ryou over. "You look terrible, what happened?"

"Didn't sleep well. You don't look like a old hag like I thought you would," Ryou said, getting a glare from Reiko.

"I guess I should take that as a complement," Reiko said. "Than again you don't give off the "Terror of Death" vibe like I inspected." Ryou shrugged, inviting her in. She followed him to the table in the living room as she took out a few forms. "You'll need to fill these out. After you do I'll take them in so you can be granted the privileges of a System Administrator." Ryou didn't say anything as he started filling them out. "Master Yata told me what you wanted to do. Are you sure you want to tell her?"

"I have to," Ryou said as he finished one form. "She lives here in Tokyo now and even more, she's in my class. Besides, after everything that happened..." He trailed off, Reiko showing some concern.

"The young lady e-mailed me last night," Reiko said. "She truly cares about you. After your talk she had told me everything you two talked about. You hurt her in a way." Ryou froze at Reiko's words, the words repeating in his mind. "She's also jealous of Alkaid, but over all, she thinks about your happiness. I know you thought about how she felt though. If she has you just as a friend, she says she can be satisfied."

"It was hard to find the right words," Ryou said as he started filling the forms out again. "She needed to know though. I wasn't going to leave her in the dark."

"So you did what you could to spare her feelings," Reiko said, realizing how he had matured from when they first met. "I'm sure you put a lot of thought in what you would tell Alkaid's player. Just be sure that you put her feelings into consideration as you did the young lady's." Ryou nodded, finishing the final form.

"That's why I'm going to tell her everything," Ryou said, the conviction in his eyes clear as day. Reiko nodded as she took the forms.

"Then I wish you luck," Reiko said. "You should have your System Administration rights approved by the time you get home from school. I'll see you later online." She then excused herself, leaving Ryou with only his thoughts.

Ryou had fallen asleep at his normal eating place. Chika had noticed that he had fallen asleep in class as well so she decided to only wake him so he would have enough time to eat before they headed back to class.

'Man, I wonder if he pulled an all nighter in 'The World',' Chika wondered, remembering how he was the day before. 'I'm sure his character is a pretty high level at least if he spends as much time as everyone says he spends on the net.' She looked up at the sky, thinking again on what the player behind Haseo would look like. 'Would he be a netjunkie too? No, not from what Mikihisa said. If he were to spend that much time in 'The World' it would have been for a serious reason.' She quickly checked her watch before shaking Ryou. "Hey, you gotta eat, class will start in ten minutes," she said as Ryou slowly opened his eyes, looking into hers. She then noticed his eyes were a similar color to Haseo's. "Do you wear contacts?" Ryou yawned a bit before pulling out his lunch.

"No, why?" Ryou said as he started eating, still half asleep. Chika blushed a bit, thankful that Ryou was too focused on his food to notice.

"No reason, it's just rare to see someone with your color of eyes," Chika said, hoping that Ryou wouldn't look back over at her. Ryou just kept eating, much to her relief. "So, what are your parents like? Will they ask me anything when I come over?"

"I live alone," Ryou said as he finished his lunch. "Though after the amount of time I've spent online they, for the most part, gave up on me." Chika stayed silent, realizing that she might have asked something she should have.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Chika said as she started getting a full grasp on how hard things were for him.

"Hey, it's ok, really," Ryou said as if it weren't a big deal. "I'm slowly improving my life so maybe they won't think I'm a disgrace. They still pay for my apartment so it shows that they still care." Chika smiled a bit. "Hey, what would you do if someone said they were Haseo?"

"You mean if they knew who I was in 'The World'?" Chika asked, tilting her head a bit as Ryou nodded. "I'd want actual proof. More than just words too, like an e-mail or something. Why?"

"Just wondering, that's all," Ryou said. Before Chika could protest about his answer Ryou pointed to her watch. "We have a couple of minutes before classes start back up. We'll talk more at my place." Chika nodded as they got up and started heading towards class. 'We'll have a lot more to talk about than you think though,' Ryou thought, now knowing how to show that he was Haseo.

As Ryou and Chika got to the apartment building Chika stopped, Ryou turning to her.

"Something wrong?" Ryou asked, wondering if she was having second thoughts.

"No, it's just..." Chika started, thinking. "Hey, which floor do you live on?"

"Fifth floor," Ryou said, wondering why she asked.

"I live on the third," Chika said, Ryou's eyes widening. "If I knew you lived two floors above we could have spent some time together yesterday after you got off work."

"Are you serious?" Ryou asked, completely shocked. Chika smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Chika said as she entered the building. "By the way, I'll be able to log on tomorrow. My mom said that the internet would be up sometime tomorrow, don't know when exactly though." Ryou walked past her, motioning for his to follow him. When they got to his apartment he opened the door, which, to Chika's surprise, his apartment was clean. "You sure you're a netjunkie? Never knew them to have a clean place before."

"I told you I was slowly improving my life," Ryou said as walked to his room and started his computer up before pulling out a laptop. "You could use my computer. I'll just use my laptop to check my mail."

"Sounds good," Chika said as she sat in front of the computer, Ryou sitting on the couch behind her. As she logged in she noticed Haseo was on. 'Perfect,' she thought as she wrote him an e-mail.

**Subject: Unsettled Issues!**

**Hey, we seriously need to talk. I saw the video of you turning into that weird monster**

She sent the message, not wanting to give him anything that might help him redirect the conversation. Ryou checked her e-mail as soon as he got it, ignoring the one he got from CC Corp. He didn't hesitate when he sent a reply.

**Subject: I know**

**Mind if we meet up and talk face to face? I told myself that I would tell you everything, but I want it to be face to face**

He sent the e-mail, looking up to see Chika already checking it. She seemed to be thinking about how to reply before she started typing again. A moment later he got her e-mail.

**Subject: Re:I know**

**So long as you're honest with me. Just tell me when and where and I'll be there**

Ryou sighed as he started typing, Chika turning around in the chair.

"Hey, is everything going ok?" Chika asked concerned. "Are you talking to the girl you like?"

"Yeah, I am," Ryou said as he sighed. "I'm about to find out if things are ok though." He then hit the send button, making the computer sound that there was a new e-mail. Chika turned back to the computer and Ryou shut his laptop down. Chika seemed glue to the e-mail, reading it over and over again.

**Subject: Now**

**Let's talk now. Just turn around**

'Just turn around...' Chika thought, having repeated the words several times over in her head. 'But, Ryou's the only one...' Her eyes then widened, recalling what Ryou asked earlier. She slowly turned to him, the shock fully setting in. "Are you really..." she said, trying to get the words out. Looking at him now, he looked almost exactly like Haseo with his hair bleached like it was.

"Haseo," Ryou said, finishing her sentence. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I knew you wouldn't have believed me." Chika was at a loss for words. Everything fit though, he knew her from her picture and knew it was her because he was there knew she had fallen into a coma. "I'll tell you everything, I promise. But, you need to promise that this stays between us. What I'm about to tell you, a lot is stuff CC Corp has tried to keep secret." Chika slowly walked over to him before sitting down on the couch next to him.

"I promise, but, start from the beginning," Chika said. "I want to know everything, especially if CC Corp was involved." Ryou nodded, knowing exactly where to start.

"I guess you could say it all started when a close friend of mine fell into a coma," Ryou said, instantly having Chika full and undivided attention. "I had found out that a PK named Tri-Edge was responsible. Back then I only cared about power, I eventually drowned in it even. When I found Tri-Edge, the power that I thought was so absolute was crushed like nothing. I went from level 133 to level 1 and lost everything I had, items, member addresses, e-mails, everything. It wasn't long until I was targeted by Kestral. Before they could PK me another player showed up and told them a bluff, scaring them away. That was when she told me about how my character had a dangerous power."

"You mean that monster you used?" Chika said, letting everything Ryou said sink in. 'From what he's already told me I feel like the reason he cheated is even greater than I ever thought,' Chika thought, realizing that the reason he became a netjunkie in the first place was due to someone close to him falling into a coma.

"Yes, though when I learned to use it my judgement was poor," Ryou said, ashamed of how he once used his Avatar. "We call monsters like that Avatars. Endrance had one as well and was infected by something known as AIDA. When you were trying to save Sirius he was also infect, as well as the PK who..." Ryou took a deep breath before finishing his sentence. "Put you into a coma." Chika's eyes widened hearing everything he just said.

"So this AIDA stuff can make people fall into comatose?" Chika asked, completely shocked. Ryou nodded slowly in response. "Then, if I did win against you, you might have fallen into a coma sooner..."

"What I did was wrong though," Ryou said, clearing his throat to continue. "When I faced who I thought was Tri-Edge, I defeated him, but I got nothing from it. AIDA though got an Epitaph, the factor that allows characters like mine to use an Avatar. AIDA's power grew and that's when it affected Sirius, as well as other players. More people fell comatose, becoming what we called Lost Ones. Then, eventually you..." Ryou paused, unable to continue. Chika knew what he was about to say though. Seeing him like he was now made her seeing how important she was to him. Without giving it a second thought she wrapping her arms around him, his eyes widening.

"You truly are a strong man," Chika said, blushing. "You saved not only me, but everyone else. In the end, I don't blame you for cheating at all. You're a hero."

"I haven't told you everything yet though," Ryou said, looking into Chika's eyes.

"Another time," Chika said. "You went through a lot and I now know how hard everything has been on you, online and offline."

"I wasn't alone though," Ryou said. "I had gained friends along the way. When I thought I couldn't go on, they were there for me, they helped me through times where I wasn't even sure if I could continue."

"But I know you where the one who saved everyone," Chika said. "I was there, in that weird place with the Doppelgangers. I do have one question though, what is up with your character? I thought you had already done your final job extension."

"Believe it or not that was Zelkova's doing," Ryou said. "He hacked my character after AIDA had been wiped out. A fact that most people probably would never believe. By the way, you're still hugging me." Chika blushed, showing no signs of letting go.

"Mind if I stay like this a little longer?" Chika asked, clinging to him. "It's all starting to feel like some sort of a dream. You being Haseo, everything you did, everything that happened." She slowly closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest, listening to his heart beating. 'My prince charming,' Chika thought, recalling how he had told her that Haseo had someone special he wanted to be with and how he had a feeling it was with her. Her suddenly shot open as she felt his arms wrap around her. "Hey, Ryou, I should get home before my mom does. I should get my homework done too, but tomorrow is Sunday so, would it be ok if we met up in 'The World' for a while if I'm able to get on early?"

"Sure, I'll be waiting for you to get one," Ryou said as he unwrapped his arms around her, Chika doing the same as she grabbed her things, stopping at the door.

"Mind if I come over sometime tomorrow too?" Chika ask, turning back to him.

"You're always welcome here," Ryou said, smiling. Chika smiled back.

"Ok, see you tomorrow then Ryou," Chika said as she headed out, closing the door behind her. Ryou realized she forgot to log out from her computer and logged her out before logging back in. He then went to his greeting cards, selecting one he had gotten through an e-mail and sending it to Alkaid.

"I hope my feelings fully reach you Chika," Ryou said as he shut down his computer. "If this doesn't do it then I still have one more thing I can give to show you how I feel."

Author: I had a restless night so what better way to spend it than to type a new chapter? Still more to come! I have at least three more chapters in mind!


End file.
